More than 10,000 servings of macaroni and cheese began going out to help feed needy families in Butler County this week, thanks to a project completed by the Leadership Butler Class of 2011.

The class assembled and packaged 10,140 servings of the FDA-approved product, which is made with fortified noodles, textured vegetable protein and a cheese packet that contains extra vitamins and minerals.

By the end of November, they will have all been distributed to families in the Augusta, Andover, Bluestem, Circle, Douglass, El Dorado, Flint Hills, Remington and Rose Hill school districts.

Isaac McNary, a member of the Leadership Butler class, created the event through the hunger relief organization Outreach, Inc. He said he would not be surprised to see the project turn into an annual event.

“It was a huge success,” McNary said. “I know as we start to see the impact this event will have on Butler County, excitement is going to build. Whether it is Leadership Butler that carries the torch or not, I’m confident what we started is going to keep growing and getting bigger.”

According to feedingamerica.org, 3,590 children in Butler County can be defined as “food insecure.” That number compiles more than 20 percent of Butler’s youth population. In Sedgwick County, it’s more than 23 percent.

“That’s a staggering number, and it is like this all across the United States,” McNary said. “We made a start, but there is still a lot of work left to do.”

Those who would like to donate for this year’s project may drop off canned items at The Villas, 700 S. Haverhill Rd. in El Dorado, during the entire month of November.

For information on how to host your own packaging event, please contact McNary at isaac@outreachprogram.org or (316) 461-0512.

Since 1988, the Leadership Butler program has graduated nearly 500 adults who are passionate about their communities, and continually committed to making them better.